Wally Marks
'Walter Lee Marks '(born April 26, 2002), known predominately as "Wally", is an American former professional baseball pitcher for the North American Baseball Conference. Marks was the Blackbirds' first prospect to crack the top 15 list of BBN's Top 100 prospects. Marks is also considered one of the most underrated pitchers in the NABC's history. He mostly played within the CL Central Division. Marks was known for his fragility, due to his extreme and unorthodox way of pitching. Early history Marks was drafted out of Nyack College in 2022 in the first round, 4th pick overall. His signing bonus was 8.5 million dollars. Marks posted impressive numbers through his 3 year minor league career, but injuries threatened his career. The #14 NABC prospect faded to #41 before being called up to the majors. Philadelphia Blackbirds Marks started 11 games during the tail end of the 2025 season. He posted an expected, but nevertheless impressive, 2.49 ERA in 68.2 IP. Marks managed to pitch 176.2 innings in 2026, despite having a season speckled with injuries. In these 176.2 innings, he pitched a 3.72 ERA, with 12 wins and 7 losses. His solid performance helped him sign a 2 year extension with the Blackbirds worth 4.2 million dollars. 2027 was a dynamic season for Marks. His season ended with 17 wins and 7 losses, with a 2.39 ERA. The 2028 season saw another solid but unimpressive year, his ERA reaching 3.24 at the end of the season. Washington Eagles Wally Marks played 9 games for the Blackbirds before being a part of a monumental trade with the Washington Eagles involving the Birds receiving Cam Albury. He's finish the 2029 season with his third best season to date, a 2.56 ERA between the two clubs. His win-loss count was even at 12. Marks played his best season yet in 2031, with a 2.27 ERA. Despite this, he did not win the ERA crown, something he'd never do in his career despite finishing second twice. 2032 was Marks' first losing season. He compiled 10 wins and 11 losses with a 4.11 ERA. The Eagles did not resign him at the end of the year, and the pitcher contemplated retirement, his injury list hefty. Carolina Barons Marks decided against retirement and instead signed with his third CL Central team, the Carolina Barons. The contract was worth 90 million dollars, and stretched over 6 years. During his first season with the Barons, Marks stayed off the disabled list, and posted 16 wins and 6 losses with a 3.58 ERA. In 2034, Mark recorded his 2000th strikeout, at the age of 32. 2035 saw the most wins in his career, with 20. Nevertheless, the ERA stayed over 3.00, at 3.05. Marks won the Malloy Award in this year, his only acceptance of this award, despite finishing fifth in Ks and outside of the top 10 in ERA. 2036 would see the pitcher's first and only All-Star appearance, a game he partook in at 34 years old. His elbow experienced a lot of soreness from his specialized flyball pitching tactic, however, and posted the least amount of IP out of all his seasons with the Barons. 2037 was the only year Marks' ERA dipped under 3.00 during his time with the Barons. It hit 2.88. However, it was a losing season, the pitcher having 10 wins and 11 losses. 2038 was devastating for Marks. He pitched one game, a win, before tearing multiple tendons in his arm. He was sidelined for the remainder of the season, which happened to be a championship season for the Barons club. Portland Pacifics Marks attempted a bounce-back season in 2039, at the age of 37. He signed a 1 year, $875,000 contract with the Portland Pacifics. Despite staying off the disabled list, Marks pitched poorly and never conquered the injuries he suffered in 2038. He finished the season with 2 wins and 10 losses, a 7.78 ERA. He retired from baseball upon free agency at the end of the season.